Bluegrass festival Sunday at amphitheater

Sharon StitzleinPublished: August 8, 2006 12:00AM

Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center will hosta bluegrass festival 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Johnny Appleseed Amphitheater.
The vent will feature bluegrass bands Northwest Territory, Copus Hill, Caney Creek andTradin' Up.Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Heritage Center and Ashland Community Arts Center.
This is the second event the Heritage Center has hosted this summer at the amphitheater after the Heritage Center board of directors suspended the Johnny Appleseed outdoor drama for the 2006 season. The event will have concessions by Fat Daddy's to compliment the day's festivites.
Headliningthe festival will be Wayne County'sbluegrass pride Northwest Territory. The band features championship guitarist and lead singer Mike Gorrell; five-time Ohio state champion with breakdown style fiddling Michele Birkby Vance; traditionalbluegrass banjo player Radford Vancewhose playing credits include Bill Monroe,Bluegrass Boys, James Monroeand Laurence Lane; and Darla Evans adding the fourth dimension on bass and lead vocals.
Copus Hill includes five musicians of various ages from the Mansfield/Ashland area including Toby McClure (guitar, lead vocal), Mike Ball (banjo), Mitch Ball (mandolin, guitar), Don Long (bass) and Jesse Cains (guitar,lead vocal).
From central Ohio, Tradin' Up offers a mix of high-energy bluegrass, old-time mountain music and Americana. Resophonic guitar player, Jerry Ellis, has teamed with lead singer and flat pickin guru Steve Cavin to find a new way to deliver the traditional sounds of bluegrass music. Ellis and Cavin are joined by Scruggs-style banjo man Dallas Meyers with Scott Brooks on mandolin and Craig Miller on bass.
The amphitheateris locatedon Ohio 603 between Mifflin and Charles Mill Dam.General admission tickets are $15 and are available for at the Ashland Community Arts Center (419-281-9836) and Renaissance Theatre (419-522-2726). Amphitheater gates will open at noon the day of the show for ticket sales.
For more information aboutthe Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center, call 419-368-1812 or visit www.jahci.org.